Device for reclaiming the tobacco from defective cigarettes



Nov. 9, 1954 H. KocHALsKl Er A1.

' DEVICE FOR RECLAIMING THE ToBAcco FROM DEFECTIVE CIGARETTES Filed Augy IN VEN TOR. HolesrKocHA/.SK/

KURTK'RBER.

ATTO NEX United States Patent O DEVICE FOR RECLAIlJIING THE TOBACCO FROMDEFECTIVE CIGARETTES Horst Kochalski, Hamburg-Bergedorf, and Kurt Krber,Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, Germany, assignors to Kurt Korber & Co.Kommandit-Gesellschaft, Hamburg- Bergedorf, Germany, a German iirmApplication August 27, 1949, Serial No. 112,688 Claims priority,application Germany July 12, 1949 2 Claims. (Cl. 131-96) This inventionrelates to a device for alining stick-like articles and moreparticularly for alining cigarettes which have been rejected atinspection after their manufacture, and the hull of which has to be cutto reclaim the tobacco. Devices have been built to slit the paper hullsof the cigarettes and subject hulls and tobacco to a screening operationin rotating screening drums or the like, to separate the paper from thetobacco. For the purpose of slitting the hull lengthwise, the cigaretteshave to be alined in relation to the slitting knife. Known devices foralining cigarettes introduced at random generally' have orifices,slides, belts, and other mechanical means to adjust the cigarettes andfeed them properly to the cutting knife. These devices have thedisadvantage of being complicated, having channels which easily clog,and require continuous supervision. Besides, their capacity is small andthey cause undesirable cutting of the tobacco because of improperalinement.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple device whicheliminates the drawbacks mentioned above. This device makes use ofcentrifugal force, rather =than mechanical contrivances for thealinement of the sticks. Cigarettes and other stick-like articles,entered into the device according to the invention are subjected tocentrifugal forces which carry the cigarettes against a circular collarwhere they are alined into an annular string. At a convenient point, thecircular collar is interrupted to form a tangential aperture.Centrifugal force in combination with a force tending to move thecigarettes circumferentially along the collar serves to extrude thecigarettes through this aperture, all properly alined. Additionalobjects will become apparent from the following specification and thedrawing which shows diagrammatically a preferred device according to theinvention. In the drawing:

Fig. l is a partial central sectional view of the device according tothe invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the device shown in Fig. 1, the top portion ofthe housing being omitted;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a modified portion of the device accordingto Figs. 1 and 2.

The same numerals designate the same parts in all figures.

Referring to the drawing, a disc 1 rotates at high speed inside astationary collar 2, which, in the example shown in the drawing, isformed by the lower rim of a domeshaped housing having an opening 3.Into this opening rejected cigarettes are thrown at random landing onthe top face of the disc 1 which rotates at high speed. Centrifugalforces acting on the cigarettes as soon as they touch the disc urge thecigarettes against the inner face of collar 2 where they form a string 4on the rim of disc 1 and revolve with the disc. It is preferred to knurlor otherwise roughen the surface of the rotating disc 1 at the centerand at the rim to positively transmit the revolving motion to thecigarettes. The inner surface of collar 2, however, is preferably verysmooth so that the cigarettes will slide along easily. The three arrowsat the lower portion of Fig. 2 illustrate the paths which the cigaretteswill take within the casing 2. The path of the cigarettes relatively tothe disc 1 is in opposite direction to the arrows.

An aperture 5 is provided in the collar 2 substantially in tangentialrelation to the rim of the rotating disc 1, the cigarettes entering thisaperture under the inuence of the rotation of the disc and ofcentrifugal force. Within the aperture a circular cutting knife 6 issuitably arranged to slit the hulls of the cigarettes entering theaperture.

A wall portion 6 may be provided to guide the cigarettes. The slitcigarettes hit a baiiieplate 7 behind the aperture, as shown in Fig. 2,and drop into a basket or a screening drurn not shown in the drawing forsegregating the tobacco from the paper in any known manner. To preventtoo many cigarettes from accumulating at the entrance of the aperture 5and possibly clog the aperture a deflector 8 is suitably interposedwhich preferably rotates as shown by the curved arrow at the leftportion of Fig. 2, in the opposite direction as the disc 1. This deectordiverts cigarettes not alined in the string 4, throwing them back on thedisc 1 until they find a place within the string.

It will be understood that other means for severing the cigarette hullmay be used instead of the knife 6. It is possible to sever the hull bysqueezing or pressing the cigarettes when a suitable moistening device,for example a spray nozzle 9, is interposed within the opening 3 as seenin Fig. 3 and the cigarettes are suliiciently moistened so that asqueezing roller 6c, replacing knife 6, can easily sever the hull.

Having thus described preferred embodiments of our invention, we do notwish to be limited thereto, but desire the appended claims to beconstrued as broadly as permissible in view of the prior art.

What we claim is:

l. A device for reclaiming the tobacco from defective cigarettescomprising a substantially horizontal rotating disc-like means ontowhich the defective cigarettes are adapted to be dropped at random andto be subjected to a centrifugal force, a stationary substantiallyvertical circular wall member disposed at the periphery of saiddisc-like means for stopping outwardly directed radial movement of thecigarettes and together with the rotating disc converting it to asliding movement along and substantially parallel to said wall member,said wall member having an aperture affording discharge of thecigarettes in sequence, a relatively stationary severing means disposedadjacent to said aperture for severing the wrappers of the cigarettes asthey move through said aperture, and a deiiecting means mounted on saidwall member adapted to engage cigarettes which are not in a suitableposition for entering said aperture, and to deect them towards thecenter of the disc-like means for resubjecting the deiiected cigarettesto the centrifugal force.

2. A device for reclaiming the tobacco from defective cigarettescomprising a substantially horizontal rotating disc, a stationary coverfor said disc having an opening through which the defective cigarettesare adapted to be dropped at random onto said disc and to be subjectedto a centrifugal force, said cover having a substantially verticalcircular wall portion disposed at the periphery of said disc forstopping the outwardly directed radial movement of the cigarettes andtogether with the rotating disc converting it to a sliding movementalong and substantially parallel to said wall portion, said wall portionhaving an aperture affording discharge therefrom and from said disc ofthe cigarettes sliding along said wall portion, means for removingmisalined cigarettes from the wall portion adjacent to said aperture,moistening means disposed in said opening for moistening the cigarettes,and a squeezing roller disposed adjacent to said aperture and engagingthe cigarettes moving thereat for severing their wrappers by theapplication of pressure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,185,744 Weber Iune 6, 1916 1,195,054 McLeod Aug. 15, 19161,828,662 Jones Oct. 20, 1931 1,856,951 Foerster May 3, 1932 2,002,142Gibson May 21, 1935 2,068,146 Medcalf Ian. 19, 1937 2,108,163 Clark Feb.15, 1938 2,268,897 Price Ian. 6, 1942 2,389,496 Gagnon Nov. 20, 19452,437,721 Barganz et al Mar. 16, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 451,168 Germany Oct. 17, 1927

